“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…” -Isaiah 9:6

Fast fact: Theologians believe that Christ was born between 6 B.C., or 4 B.C. Scholars say that He was born between September and March. Orthodox Christians celebrate His birth on January 7. In the West, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th.

The Birthing Place of Lambs

There are also many traditional images we have surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ, the Word was made flesh (born a sinless human being) and dwelt among us.

We see images of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in a humble stable with cows or oxen, a donkey and some sheep, with the baby lying in a wooden manger slightly overflowing with hay or straw.

The shepherds worshipped Him and the wise men bowed before Him as they presented their gifts.

We may even see a little drummer boy standing by, though he is not found within the Scriptures.

We also think about the dramatic, brilliant and startling angelic announcement of the arrival of the Savior to the shepherds as they kept watch over their flocks by night.

These shepherds, we understand, were shepherds officially entrusted to care for flocks which produced unblemished lambs to be sacrificed as sin offerings in the temple.

Luke 2:10-12 tells us:

“And the angel of the Lord said unto them, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord, and this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

The Greek word for manger is phatne, translated as “manger” in most English translations of the New Testament, and it means “stall”.

The sign to the shepherds was finding the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, special strips of cloth wound around the baby, lying in a stall. How could it be that this sign would tell the shepherds exactly where to find the baby Jesus?

Micah 5:2 tells us a Ruler, the Savior, would come out of Bethlehem.

This was confirmed by the chief priests and scribes when the wise men came to Jerusalem to look for the newly-born King.

“…Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” -Matthew 2:2

But did you know that in the time of Jesus, just outside of Bethlehem, there was a former military watchtower that was called in Hebrew, “Migdal Eder”, which means “tower of the flock”.

The lower level was used for birthing lambs which would be closely examined and later be used for sin offerings in the temple in Jerusalem. This structure contained stalls for sheltering ewes who were about to bear their lambs.

We are told there was one particular stall where the newborn lambs were placed and wrapped in swaddling clothes to protect them from the king, damage, and or blemish in order for them to be acceptable for sacrifice (Exodus 12:5; Matthew 2:13-23).

“And thou, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee it shall come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.” -Micah 4:8

So, at the direction of the angel, these shepherds, who knew, raised, cared for, and closely examined sacrificial lambs, understood exactly where to find and examine the newborn King, in the tower of the flock, lying in a stall (manger) where the lambs were to be sacrificed for the sins of the people.

God arranged the perfect birthplace place for His only begotten Son, the perfect Lamb.

Modern–Day Misunderstandings…

Everybody loves Christmas. We get together, we eat, we give presents to each other, the lights are beautiful and then there is a little baby. Baby Jesus. Who, I ask, cannot get excited about a little baby? Especially, Jesus, the Son of God. As a matter of fact, people make much ado about the birth of Christ, and rightfully so.

But did you know that in the Bible, we can find no record that the early Church ever celebrated Christmas.

I am not saying that it is wrong to celebrate the birth of Christ, of course not.

Yet, the early Church did not memorialize or commemorate the birth of Christ, it memorialized the death of Christ and it is called the “Lord’s Supper.”

Again, it was to commemorate what? His death, not His birth. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-34.

The more carnal a person seems to be, the more they will make much of His birth, and the less they will make of His death.

They love to celebrate the cradle, yet they hate the cross (Philippians 3:18).

And the same crowd, that same giddy crowd that will be dancing around the cradle on Christmas evening, will be the same giddy crowd that will be in a drunken stupor on New Year’s Eve singing the devil’s songs.

You see, they don’t see this baby as the Sovereign King. They don’t see Him as the sinless deity, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

They don’t see Him as the sacrificial Savior who is going to die a death, an ignominious (very shameful; reproachful; dishonorable) death on the cross in shedding His blood as the propitiation for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2, 3:16).

Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media.  Article by Bradlee Dean.